Reset search
Meike's SabbaticalMeike's Sabbatical
SatelliteEdit route
Travel Fan for years, seen alot of the US, and once started with a Safari in South Africa in 2018 I'm hooked to this beautiful, generous, amazing country and its people Read more Linden, Deutschland
  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    1
    1
    Day 58

    Good bye Kariega

    November 18, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    My volunteering times are over. When originally reading about the program I thought we would be working and helping with the animals, doing manual labor by digging and cutting alien plants etc. But it was much more than that. When going out onto the Reserve it was like going into freedom, seeing all the wild animals so close when they were moving by the vehicle, learning about their backgrounds, threats, the ecosystem etc. And thanks to Jaco it was always an adventure being out, he is enthusiastic about everything, may it be mushrooms, beetles, butterflies - for him everything has its place and its purpose. It gave me a whole new perspective on nature.
    Living with a 'family' for 8 weeks was great, even though sometimes quite challenging, so was cooking for 10 people, even during loadshedding. There were volunteers from Europe, Australia, Canada, the US - all with different values and beliefs which in the end had to work together as a team. It was a wonderful experience and I'm really sad its over now.
    Nevertheless I will enjoy another 3 weeks of vacation in Cape St. Francis, before going back.
    Thanks for all your comments and likes, I hope I was able to share a bit of this amazing and special time.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    11
    Day 57

    Wishlist

    November 17, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Since I will be leaving the volunteers on monday I was allowed some wishes for my last day: I wanted to go see a sunrise and the new elephant baby - both wishes were granted 😊. So we set out yesterday morning at 4, all bundled up, with some coffee and tea to see the sunrise at 5. After that we started looking for the herd with the new baby and once we found them they just walked by - the new baby has only been born last week, is still a bit wobbly on its feet and is well protected by its babysitters - such a moving moment! It was so special being there with them.
    We also worked on the dam at Ocean View, getting clay and lying the new bottom of the dam with it - officially allowed to play in the dirt and look like it :-).
    And when we started the braai last night we also noticed one of the elephant bulls right outside our gate, enjoying the fresh green of the fig tree, he still was here this morning - his way of saying goodbye.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    1
    Day 55

    Last week of volunteering

    November 15, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    This is my last week as volunteer at Kariega. It is quite an experience and completely different from my daily job. Even though we also have our routines here: on the car by 8:30, doing some manual labor by cutting trees, bushes etc, doing some elephant, rhino, lion research, sometimes going swimming at lunch and having the weekend off for our own activities.
    Our house is located directly on the Reserve, fenced off against the animals (or against us?) and is called Ocean View - because you can see the sea at Kenton, even though we are 20 km away.
    There is a communal kitchen where teams cook for all, and a lounge where we prepare lessons, discuss various topics, make weekend plans etc. The rooms are double rooms and at the moment I share mine with Mary from California.
    The ones leaving can make a wish of what they would like to see or do, I opted for the elephants 😉. So hopefully we'll see the new babies in the next days.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    3
    Day 44

    Spring at Kariega

    November 4, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Finally the weather has picked up and the Reserve starts blooming, the birds are nesting and days are getting longer.
    We are still waiting for the Zebra and Impala babies though.
    The last couple of days have passed in a meanwhile well known routine: going out in the morning looking for the lions or rhinos, being distracted by elephants and giraffes, going to the workshop to get the car being looked at, clipping trees and bushes alongside the roads etc...
    Last weekend was perfect, on saturday we went hiking along the Assegaai Hiking Trail and only got lost once 😀. Sunday was spent at our secret bay at the beach, enjoying a relaxed day.
    For me its only the rest of this week and next week left, then my time as volunteer at the Reserve will come to an end.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    Day 41

    Lioness + cubs

    November 1, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Today it is Marit's birthday, she turned 20 and we surprised her with a Brownie-Cake and candles before starting on todays duties at 6:30.
    This time Jaco really wanted to find the lioness with the cubs, me still not being very happy about it.
    After cruising almost two hours through the bush and thickets we finally found them: the lioness with her three cubs, lounging in the shade of a tree - and it was absolutely worth it. And almost made me forget my 'lion-trauma' 😉.
    After that we were able to also locate the two lions by triangulation, meaning using the antenna to find their collar frequences (in theory, but mostly a lot of luck also). They are brothers and usually found together, mostly resting or sleeping, they're mainly awake and hunting at night. So here they are again, very relaxed.
    The afternoon was spend at the soup kitchen, this time us giving a lesson to the kids about 'the circle of life', this is always a challenge but also a lot of fun.
    All in all a successfull day for all of us.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    Day 40

    This and that

    October 31, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Another week has gone by, my two friends have left and new volunteers have arrived - this time two french ladies. There is a lot of turnaround at the moment, which is not always easy getting used to.
    Still we are going out every day, checking on the cheetahs, the rhinos, the elefants and the lions. Even though to be honest I'm a bit apprehensive about the lions at the moment.
    Since the weather was really good last week we went camping for one night - in the bush. We build a huge fire, everybody brought a sleeping bag and snacks. I was a bit scared of any creepers and critters trying to crawl into my ears, but that went surprisingly well. And with my new sleeping bag I was also warm enough. I guess I got about 3 hours of sleep this night, and my back really hurt the next morning - but it was an adventure 😀.
    Weekend activities this time took place in the Pottery in Kenton, where I was able to try to create my own pots and bowls - which takes a lot of patience and trying, usually the clay just collapsed again on me. And another beach hike where we came across a puff adder (of course not knowing at the time).
    The days are blending one into one at the moment, finally there is some sun, but rain is never far away.
    For the coming weekend I am planning a day at the beach, just relaxing, swimming and reading - since we are at the Indian Ocean the water is already warm enough.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    1
    Day 34

    Scary moments

    October 25, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We went out to find the lionesses yesterday - after speaking to the Rangers we were able to locate all three of them together, dozing and sleeping in the thickets. What a sight, they always seem more menacing than the males, even though they are only resting. The cubs were not around, probably playing somewhere else.
    When we wanted to leave our car got stuck in the mud, and even despite scratching the mud out, putting branches and stones underneath the tires we only got in deeper - we needed some help from Tembo (who also got stuck with his car) and Maverick. All that happened still in sight of the lionesses...in the end we had to change the vehicle, single file, and this is when one of them came really close and roared at us - we all tried to get into the new car at once, leaving not enough room in the loading space. So I had to cram in with 3 others into the cabin, heart beating wildly and hands trembling violently.
    After two hours we finally managed to get out of this area and for the moment I have seen enough of the lions.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    Day 31

    Sunday activities

    October 22, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    One last time together: the three musceteers going kayaking.
    Of course it rained this morning, but once we were in Kenton it cleared and we were off. We were going into the mound of Kariega River, which usually is quite shallow. And of course we stranded, but with the incoming flood were able to move on. A lovely place and really quiet, even though I was completely drenched, obviously my kayaking technique needs some practice. And I also managed to drench Toni, who was sharing the Kayak with me...
    Tonight we are planning our last meal, enjoying a last bottle of wine and a card game - I will miss them.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    21
    Day 28

    Halftime

    October 19, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Its sunday again, I have now been on the Reserve for four weeks - time flies. The people I started with have meanwhile become friends, but will be moving on tomorrow. I'll miss them: Sarah, my roommate and Toni, together we are the three musceteers :-). Spending the days and weekends together is something special, we've had a lot of laughs and great experiences.
    Due to a lot of people leaving on monday Jaco took us for a Sunrise drive on Friday morning. Getting up at 3, all bundled up it was still dark and really cold, hence the beanie and the jacket. This time we went up a montain where we could watch the animals coming alive in the valley, heartbreakingly beautiful...
    After a quick breakfast we started again on the fencing, getting the wire out, meanwhile it was hot again and we were glad about any shade, but happy to do some manual labor.
    On our way back we came across the lions, taking a sunbath and not being bothered by us at all, they are just like big cats.
    Going out in the afternoon it started raining again and temperature dropped by 15 degrees and we were completely soaked, in one day we have had all the climate zones, no surprise I can't get rid of my bronchitis.    Read more

  • TravelerSabbatical Meike
    Day 26

    Sick

    October 17, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    After all that rain the last couple of days the weather has now finally picked up and its sunny and warm. Even though Sarah, my roommate, and I have picked up a Bronchitis, due to the eternal damp and wind. So we went to the doctor yesterday, which in itself is an adventure. We had to pay 450 ZAR for the visit and then got a bag of prescriptions for another 1000 ZAR, but due to that we had to skip the morning trip into the bush and the lesson with the kids at the soup kitchen. At least we had the house to ourselves and also Wifi was back up again :-).Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English